Stomas + Hot Weather

Hot weather and stomas don’t necessarily go together well however you shouldn’t let your stoma stop you from travelling and visiting warm countries! Some of the problems which you can face whilst you’re in hot weather is your bags not sticking as well and the big one, dehydration.

I thought I’d give you a few little tips on how I stay comfortable and well in the heat – if you have any more tips, I’d love to hear them so let me know in the comments!

Keep your bags out of direct sunlight and preferably keep them in a cooler place (but not the fridge or anything!). Maybe if you have one room more air-conditioned, keep your supplies in that room instead. This just helps keep the adhesive sticky.

Change your bag daily some of you might already do that; I personally change every other day if I can. This way, you’re less likely to have leaks, especially if your adhesive isn’t as sticky, and it will also help you feel more comfortable too because if it’s really hot, you can feel really sweaty (especially under the bag!). I know, it’s not pleasant, but WE ALL SWEAT PEOPLE! and changing your bag daily will just make you feel a lot better. Trust me.

Keep Hydrated well duh, that sounds super obvious, but make sure you’re drinking plenty of water throughout the day and night. If you’re looking for ways to keep hydrated I wrote this post last year which you might find useful

Stay off the alcohol I know a lot of ostomates don’t drink anyways, but if you do maybe don’t drink too much, or at all, when it’s really hot – especially if you’re already struggling to keep hydrated as alcohol makes you dehydrated.

Get some rehydration sachets these can be absolute lifesavers and I don’t go on holiday without them now because I know that if I’m feeling dehydrated and haven’t drank enough I can have a sachet and I’ll feel heaps better. I use these ones but if you find yourself with none, get a lucozade and a packet of crisps and that helps restore the salts in your body (I got that tip from my stoma nurses!)

So there are some of my tips for keeping comfortable in the hot weather with your stoma. Don’t forget to leave your tips in the comments below because I’d love to hear more!